Bow facing oar

ABSTRACT

A bow facing oar consisting of an operating arm portion and a blade arm portion and bracket means for attachment to the gunwale of a boat. The adjoining ends of the portions are commonly pivoted on a pin extending vertically through a clevis and a rod, having one end fixed to the clevis, extends horizontally forwardly therefrom to slidably journal a slide block. A first link is pivotally connected between the operating arm and the slide block and a second link is pivotally connected between the slide block and the blade arm whereby pivotal movement of the operating arm is reversely transmitted to the blade arm. Lever means, extending outwardly from the slide block to a point of sliding engagement along the blade arm, is adapted to give the oarsman a force advantage and a cam means is provided to feather the blade at the end of each stroke and to reposition said blade at the beginning of each stroke.

Unite States Patet Trail 1 Apr. 24, 1973 BOW FACING OAR [57] ABSTRACT Inventor? Waldo 31 1O 19th A bow facing oar consisting of an operating arm por- Stfeet, Mlaml 33145 tion and a blade arm portion and bracket means for [22] Filed. July 9, 1971 attachment to the gunwale of a boat. The adjoining Appl. No.: 161,123

Primary ExaminerGeorge E. A. Halvosa Arturney.lohn Cyril Malloy ends of the portions are commonly pivoted on a pin extending vertically through a clevis and a rod, having one end fixed to the clevis, extends horizontally forwardly therefrom to slidably journal a slide block. A first link is pivotally connected between the operating arm and the slide block and a second link is pivotally connected between the slide block and the blade arm whereby pivotal movement of the operating arm is reversely transmitted to the blade arm. Lever means, extending outwardly from the slide block to a point of sliding engagement along the blade arm, is adapted to give the oarsman a force advantage and a cam means is provided to feather the blade at the end of each stroke and to reposition said blade at the beginning of each stroke.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented April 24, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR k/flLDO EPA/EST TRULL BY: ,2 E

ATTOFNEX BY v HTTOFNEY Patented April 24, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BOW FACING OAR STATE OF THE PRIOR ART One of the most common approaches in the past to providing a reversing mechanism for a two section oar has been the use of meshing gears or gear segments fixed to the adjoining ends of the two oar portions. Among the most obvious disadvantages of this type of structure is the high cost of quality gears and the problem of constant exposure to moisture. Additionally, an equal amount of movement is imparted to both sections by the manipulations of an oarsman and it is more desirable to provide a greater degree of arcuate movement to the blade portion than that which is manually imparted to the operating portion.

Another common approach has been the provision of three pivot points, one for each of the two portions of the oar and a pivotal connection between the adjoining ends of the two portions. With this type of structure it is necessary to provide an elongated pivot pin slot in one of the oar portions.

Still another bow facing oar provides individual, quite widely spaced apart, pivotal attachments for the two oar portions and a connecting link pivotally extending between the two portions to transmit a reverse movement to the blade portion when the operating arm is manipulated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The instant invention provides a simple and inexpensive structure for a bow facing oar and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide an oar consisting of an operating portion and a blade portion having adjoining ends which are commonly pivoted on a vertical pivot pin in a clevis and a pair of links which are respectively, pivotally connected between the two oar portions and a slide block which is slidably journaled on a rod, fixed to and extending horizontally forwardly from the clevis.

Another object of the invention is to provide a leverage means to give the operator a force advantage.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a very simple feathering means comprisedof a cam, projecting outwardly from the rotatable blade portion, which is adapted to contact an inclined cam surface at the beginning and end of each rowing stroke whereby the blade is respectively positioned to bite into the water for the rowing portion of the stroke and to be feathered for the return portion.

Another object of this invention is to provide mounting brackets for the oars which extend outboard of the gunwales of the boat whereby the oars may be swung to a vertical position when approaching a dock or the like.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a counterbalancing means in the form of a tension spring for relieving the oarsman of a considerable amount of the weight of the oars as they are being raised from the water for the return portion of a stroke.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the bow facing oar of the present invention, attached to the gunwale of a boat;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side elevation of the oar as seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the pivotal attachment and feathering portion of the oar;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 55 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like or similar parts throughout the various views and with particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the numeral 10 generally designates the bow facing oar of the present invention which is generally comprised of an operating portion 12, a blade portion 14, a reversing mechanism 16, a blade feathering device 18, a lever means and mounting brackets 22 and 24.

The operating portion 12 of the oar 10 includes an elongated portion 25, preferably fabricated of aluminum tubing, having a hand grip 26 fixed to the inner end by pin or screw means 28 and, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the outer end 30 of the tubing portion is adapted to slidably receive a stud 32, projecting outwardly from a boss 34. A suitable pin or screw as illustrated at 36 passes through the outer end and the stud 32. A central bore 38 is provided in the boss 34 for through passage of a pivot pin 40 carried in a clevis 42.

With further reference to FIG. 3 the clevis 42 provides upper and lower arms 44 and 46 and a connecting vertical base ,web 48. The pivot pin 40 extends vertically through the arms 44 and 46 and includes a threaded end portion for the reception of a nut 50 and as illustrated a resilient washer 52 may be interposed between the nut 50 and the arm 46 as well as pin means 54 to retain the nut 50 in position on the threaded portion of the pivot pin 40.

A second boss 56 is provided with a control bore 58 for passage therethrough of the pivot pin 40 and as illustrated in FIG. 3 the two bosses 34 and 56 are sized to be individually pivoted on the pin 40 between the clevis arms 44 and 46.

Extending radially outwardly from the pivot pin 40 is a sleeve 60, formed integral with the boss 56, providing a central bore 62 for the reception of the inner end 63 of a pivot rod 64 having a collar 66 pinned thereto as at 68. Outwardly of the collar 66, a second collar 70 is pinned as at 72 within the outer end portion of the bore 62 to captivate the rod 64 for rotational movement relative to the sleeve 60.

Immediately outwardly of the sleeve 60, a cam 74 is pinned as at 76 to the rod 64 and immediately outwardly of the cam 74 a roller 78 is rotatably mounted on the rod 64. The purpose of the cam 74 and the roller 78 will be subsequently described.

The pivot rod 64 extends outwardly a substantial distance into the inner end 80 of an elongated tube 82 of the blade portion 14 of the oar l0 and is pinned thereto as at 84. A filler sleeve 86 is interposed between the rod 64 and the inner surface of the tube 82.

A propeller blade 88 extends outwardly from the outer end 90 of the tube 82 and includes a shank portion 92 which is slidably received within the outer end of the tube 82. The shank 92 preferably is provided with a plurality of spaced through openings 94 for the selective passage therethrough of a bolt 96 extending through the end 90 of the tube 82. A wing nut 100 is threaded on the bolt 96 to hold the blade 88 in a selected position of extension relative to the tube 82. The blade 88 and shank 92 are preferably molded of a high impact plastic material.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, a rod 110 is fixed to the base web 48 of the clevis 42 by set screw 112 and extends horizontally forwardly for rotational journaled engagement in the outer ends 114 and 116 of the spaced apart mounting brackets 22 and 24. A slide block 118 is slidably journaled on the rod 110, between the bracket ends 114 and 116, and provides a pair of oppositely, horizontally extending ears 120 and 122. A connector link 124 is pivotally attached between the ear 120 and a collar 126 fixed as at 128 to the tube 25 of the operating portion 12 of the oar and a similar connector link 130 is pivotally attached between the ear 122 and a collar 132 carried on the tube 82 in a confining relation between the roller 78 and a collar 134 pinned as at 136 to the tube 82 of the blade portion 14 of the oar 10.

The lengths of the connecting links 124 and 130 as well as the positioning of the collars 126 and 132 relative to the pivot pin 40 determines the degree of arcuate movement of the blade portion 14 relative to the degree of arcuate movement of the operating portion 12.

With further reference to FIG. 1, it can be seen that movement of the operating portion 12 of the oar from the full line position to the dot-dash and broken line positions exerts a pulling force on the slide block 118 through the link 124, and the slide block 118 in turn imparts a pushing force on the blade portion 14 through link 130 to impart a reverse arcuate movement thereto to move said blade portion from the full line position to the dot-dash and broken line positions. When the direction of movement imparted to the operating portion 12 is reversed, the links 124 and 130 respectively push and pull by means of the slide-block 118 to reverse the direction of movement of the blade portion 14, and both the operating and blade portions 12 and 14 reassume the full line positions.

Resilient washers 131 and 131a are preferably provided adjacent the bracket heads 114 and 116 to prevent metal to-metal contact between the slide block 118 and the journal heads 114 and 116.

As best illustrated in FIG. 4, the rod 110 preferably includes a portion 137, extending forwardly beyond bracket head 114, about which a compression spring 138 is circumposed between a collar 140, pinned at 142 to the shaft, and the head 114. The spring 138 provides for a free yet somewhat firm rotational movement of the rod 110 in the bracket bearing heads 114 and l 16.

With reference to the feathering device 18, as best illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, the lower arm 46 of the clevis 42 includes an outwardly extending, generally pie-shaped extension 146, providing an elongated arcuate slot 148 on a radius of the pivot pin 40. The cam 74, which is pinned as at 76 to the rod 64 which is in turn pinned to the tube 84, extends downwardly through the arcuate slot 148. As best illustrated in FIG. 5, at the forward or full line position illustrated in FIG. 1, the cam 74 is in contact with an inclined forward wall 150 of the arcuate slot 148 and the blade 88 is positioned for a propelling stroke. At the end of the propelling stroke, the cam 74 contacts a similar inclined wall 152 at the rear portion of the arcuate slot 148 and is rotated clockwisely as indicated by the dot-dash lines in FIG. 5 thereby rotating the blade 88 into a substantially horizontal plane. The blade 88 remains in this feathered position until it is fully returned to the start position whereupon the cam 74 contacts the inclined wall 150 and rotates the blade 88 counterclockwisely to its vertical, rowing position.

A sleeve segment 149 is fixed by screw 151 to the sleeve 60 and provides a pair of opposed downwardly and outwardly curved ears 153 and 153a to provide a stop means for the rotational movement of the cam 74.

The roller 78 on rod 64 is in engagement with a peripheral portion 154 of the extension 146 and provides support for the blade portion 14 relative to the extension 146.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the rearward support bracket 24 provides an inwardly and downwardly extending arm and a base 162 which is fastened to the top edge of the gunwale of the boat by any type of conventional fastening means.

The forward support bracket 22, as best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, includes a portion 164 extending inwardly and downwardly from the journal end 114 to a base 166 which is'fastened to the top-edge of the gunwale in a manner similar to the rearward bracket 24. If desirable both brackets 22 and 24 may be fastened to the gunwale by any type of conventional clamp means to provide for quick removal of the entire oar assembly.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6 a counterbalancing tension spring 168 may be provided to minimize the effort required to pivot the oar upwardly out of the water. A radially extending arm .170 is provided on the rod 110 and the tension spring 168 has one end fixed I thereto as at 172 and the other end fixed to an upstanding lug 174 on the base 166.

The lever means as generally indicated at 20 in FIG. 1 provides an arm fixed as at 182 to an extension .of the slide block ear 122 and a link 184 is pivotally connected between the outer end 186 of the arm 180 and a sleeve 188 slidable along the tube 82 of the blade portion 14 of the oar. When the operating portion 12 is moved rearwardly to propel the'boat the arm 180 and link 184 urge the blade portion 14 counterclockwisely to provide the oarsman with a mechanical advantage.

While a preferred form of the instant invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A bow facing oar comprising,

A. an operating portion including,

1. an inner end providing a hand grip, and 2. an outer end;

B. a propelling blade portion including,

1. an inner end, and 2. an outer end including an oar blade;

C. a common pivot means for said outer end of the operating portion and said inner end of the propelling blade portion, said pivot means comprising, a clevis including a pair of horizontally disposed arms and a vertically disposed base web, a pivot pin extending vertically between said arms, a first boss fixed to said outer end of the operating portion, a second boss including means to rotatively carry the inner end of the blade portion; both of said bosses being pivotally disposed on said pivot pin between said arms;

D. a rod fixed to and extending horizontally forwardly from said base web;

E. bracket means comprising a pair of spaced apart brackets for fixed engagement with a gunwale ofa boat to extenil upwardly and outwardly therefrom, each providing an end portion for rotatably journaling said rod;

F. a slide block, slidably journaled on said rod between said brackets;

G. a first link, pivotally connected between said slide block and operating portion;

H. a second link, pivotally connected between said slide block and propelling blade portion;

1. a tension spring, extending between a radially extending arm, fixed to said rod, and the base portion of one of said brackets;

J. means for feathering said oar blade and returning same to a propelling attitude comprising,

1. an arcuate slot in an outwardly extending portion of said clevis, a cam, fixed to the inner end of said blade portion, extending through said slot;

K. lever means extending between said slide block and blade portion comprising,

1. an outwardly extending arm, fixed to said slide block, a sleeve, slidable along said inner end of said blade portion and a link pivotally connecting between said outwardly extending arm and sleeve.

2. A bow facing oar as defined in claim ll including a compression spring circumposed about a forwardly extending portion of said rod and exerting compression forces between a collar fixed to said extending portion and one of said mounting brackets.

3. A bow facing oar as defined in claim 1 in which said propelling blade portion includes an elongated tubular member having inner and outer ends, said second boss includes an outwardly extending sleeve providing an internal bore and a pivot rod is provided which is fixed in said inner end and journaled for rotational movement in said internal bore.

4. A bow facing oar as defined in claim 3 in which said oar blade includes a shank portion for sliding reception within said outer end of the elongated tubular member, said shank portion being provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced through holes and attachment means are provided for selective engagement through said tubular member and any one of said plurality of through holes. 

1. A bow facing oar comprising, A. an operating portion including,
 1. an inner end providing a hand grip, and
 2. an outer end; B. a propelling blade portion including,
 1. an inner end, and
 2. an outer end including an oar blade; C. a common pivot means for said outer end of the operating portion and said inner end of the propelling blade portion, said pivot means comprising, a clevis including a pair of horizontally disposed arms and a vertically disposed base web, a pivot pin extending vertically between said arms, a first boss fixed to said outer end of the operating portion, a second boss including means to rotatively carry the inner end of the blade portion; both of said bosses being pivotally disposed on said pivot pin between said arms; D. a rod fixed to and extending horizontally forwardly from said base web; E. bracket means comprising a pair of spaced apart brackets for fixed engagement with a gunwale of a boat to extend upwardly and outwardly therefrom, each providing an end portion for rotatably journaling said rod; F. a slide block, slidably journaled on said rod between said brackets; G. a first link, pivotally connected between said slide block and operating portion; H. a second link, pivotally connected between said slide block and propelling blade portion; I. a tension spring, extending between a radially extending arm, fixed to said rod, and the base portion of one of said brackets; J. means for feathering said oar blade and returning same to a propelling attitude comprising,
 1. an arcuate slot in an outwardly extending portion of said clevis, a cam, fixed to the inner end of said blade portion, extending through said slot; K. lever means extending between said slide block and blade portion comprising,
 1. an outwardly extending arm, fixed to said slide block, a sleeve, slidable along said inner end of said blade portion and a link pivotally connecting between said outwardly extending arm and sleeve.
 2. A bow facing oar as defined in claim 1 including a compression spring circumposed about a forwardly extending portion of said rod and exerting compression forces between a collar fixed to said extending portion and one of said mounting brackets.
 2. an outer end including an oar blade; C. a common pivot means for said outer end of the operating portion and said inner end of the propelling blade portion, said pivot means comprising, a clevis including a pair of horizontally disposed arms and a vertically disposed base web, a pivot pin extending vertically between said arms, a first boss fixed to said outer end of the operating portion, a second boss including means to rotatively carry the inner end of the blade portion; both of said bosses being pivotally disposed on said pivot pin between said arms; D. a rod fixed to and extending horizontally forwardly from said base web; E. bracket means comprising a pair of spaced apart brackets for fixed engagement with a gunwale of a boat to extend upwardly and outwardly therefrom, each providing an end portion for rotatably journaling said rod; F. a slide block, slidably journaled on said rod between said brackets; G. a first link, pivotally connected between said slide block and operating portion; H. a second link, pivotally connected between said slide block and propelling blade portion; I. a tension spring, extending between a radially extending arm, fixed to said rod, and the base portion of one of said brackets; J. means for feathering said oar blade and returning same to a propelling attitude comprising,
 2. an outer end; B. a propelling blade portion including,
 3. A bow facing Oar as defined in claim 1 in which said propelling blade portion includes an elongated tubular member having inner and outer ends, said second boss includes an outwardly extending sleeve providing an internal bore and a pivot rod is provided which is fixed in said inner end and journaled for rotational movement in said internal bore.
 4. A bow facing oar as defined in claim 3 in which said oar blade includes a shank portion for sliding reception within said outer end of the elongated tubular member, said shank portion being provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced through holes and attachment means are provided for selective engagement through said tubular member and any one of said plurality of through holes. 